Colorado Green Chili

From Cook's Country | October/November 2013

Why this recipe works:

Unlike Texas chili, this Colorado dish is based on pork and lots of green Hatch chiles. Since you have to mail-order real Hatch chiles, we approximate the flavor with Anaheims and jalapeños. Halving the Anaheims before roasting means no tedious flipping, and pureeing half of the chiles (along with a can of diced tomatoes) while chopping the other half by hand creates texture. Pork butt is rich and meaty, and starting it in a covered pan with water until the fat renders lets us brown it all in one batch. Using the oven to cook the chili provides gentle heat—and hands-off cooking—and finishing the stew with the chopped, roasted jalapeños adds a fresh hit of heat.
less

Colorado Green Chili

More than 2 pounds of chiles go into this mildly spicy stew, making it as much about the green chile peppers as the pork. Watch the Video

Serves 6

The chiles can be roasted and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt
• 2 pounds (10 to 12) Anaheim chiles, stemmed, halved lengthwise, and seeded
• 3 jalapeño chiles
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Cayenne pepper
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. 1. Combine pork, ½ cup water, and ½ teaspoon salt in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until liquid evaporates and pork browns in its own fat, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer pork to bowl and set aside.
   
   2. Meanwhile, adjust 1 oven rack to lowest position and second rack 6 inches from broiler element. Heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Arrange Anaheims, skin side up, and jalapeños in single layer on prepared sheet. Place sheet on upper rack and broil until chiles are mostly blackened and soft, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheet and flipping only jalapeños halfway through broiling. Place Anaheims in large bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let cool for 5 minutes. Set aside jalapeños. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
   
   3. Remove skins from Anaheims. Chop half of Anaheims into ½-inch pieces and transfer to bowl. Process remaining Anaheims in food processor until smooth, about 10 seconds; transfer to bowl with chopped Anaheims. Pulse tomatoes and their juice in now-empty food processor until coarsely ground, about 4 pulses.
   
   4. Heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, Anaheims, tomatoes, and pork with any accumulated juices and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cover pot, transfer to lower oven rack, and cook until pork is tender, 1 to 1¼ hours.
   
   5. Without peeling, stem and seed jalapeños and reserve seeds. Finely chop jalapeños and stir into chili. Season chili with salt, cayenne, and reserved jalapeño seeds to taste. Serve with lime wedges.
   

Test Kitchen Technique: Easier Roasted Chiles

Roasting chiles whole and then seeding them—the usual procedure—makes a mess: The wet seeds stick to everything. We halve and seed the raw Anaheims. It’s neater and lets us skip the usual flipping step. We leave the jalapeños whole; they soften but don’t deeply roast.

READY FOR ROASTING: Arrange the chiles head to foot for the best fit.

California Fish Tacos

California Fish Tacos

From Cook's Country | August/September 2013

Why this recipe works:

Simple, satisfying, fresh fish tacos from the West Coast combine fried fish, sliced cabbage, and a creamy white sauce in a corn tortilla. We chose mild but sturdy white fish for our tacos and tossed it in an ultrathin beer batter to avoid a thick, bready coating. Cornstarch and baking powder in the batter ensure that the fish fries up golden brown and crispy. A quick pickle of red onions and jalapeños adds color and spice to the tacos, and we use a portion of the vinegary pickling liquid to dress shredded cabbage. Our creamy white sauce gets tang from lime juice and sour cream, and fresh cilantro leaves are the finishing touch.
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California Fish Tacos

You can’t just wrap a fish in a tortilla and call it a California-style taco. You need light, crisp fried fish, the perfect toppings, and high-contrast flavors and textures. Watch the Video

Serves 6

Although this recipe looks involved, all the components are easy to execute and most can be made in advance. Light-bodied American lagers, such as Budweiser, work best here. Cut the fish on a slight bias if your fillets aren’t quite 4 inches wide. You should end up with about 24 pieces of fish. Serve with green salsa, if desired.

Ingredients

• PICKLED ONIONS

• 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and sliced into thin rings
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

• CABBAGE

• 3 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1/4 cup pickling liquid from pickled onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• WHITE SAUCE

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons milk

• FISH

• 2 pounds skinless whitefish fillets, such as cod, haddock, or halibut, cut crosswise into 4 by 1-inch strips
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup beer
• 1 quart peanut or vegetable oil
• 24 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. 1. FOR THE PICKLED ONIONS: Combine onion and jalapeños in medium bowl. Bring vinegar, lime juice, sugar, and salt to boil in small saucepan. Pour vinegar mixture over onion mixture and let sit for at least 30 minutes. (Pickled onions can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.)
   
   2. FOR THE CABBAGE: Toss all ingredients together in bowl.
   
   3. FOR THE WHITE SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. (Sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.)
   
   4. FOR THE FISH: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Add beer and whisk until smooth. Transfer fish to batter and toss until evenly coated.
   
   5. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about ¾ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Working with 5 to 6 pieces at a time, remove fish from batter, allowing excess to drip back into bowl, and add to hot oil, briefly dragging fish along surface of oil to prevent sticking. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees. Fry fish, stirring gently to prevent pieces from sticking together, until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer fish to prepared wire rack and place in oven to keep warm. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining fish.
   
   6. Divide fish evenly among tortillas. Top with pickled onions, cabbage, white sauce, and cilantro. Serve.
   

Easier than It Looks

This recipe has several parts, but they come together faster than you might think.

Quick Pickled Onions: Just slice the onion and jalapeños, pour the vinegar mixture over, and let sit for at least 30 minutes. This can be done up to two days ahead.

No-Cook Cabbage: Simply shred the cabbage (by hand or in a food processor) and toss with the onion pickling liquid.

Simple White Sauce: Measure ingredients and whisk together. This can be done up to two days ahead.

Milk Can Supper

Serves 6 to 8

If your Dutch oven is slightly smaller than 8 quarts, the lid may not close all the way when you start cooking. But as the contents of the pot cook, they will decrease in volume, so you’ll soon be able to clamp on the lid. Use small red potatoes, measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Light-bodied American lagers, such as Budweiser, work best in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 pounds bratwurst (10 sausages)
• 2 pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled
• 1 head green cabbage (2 pounds), cored and cut into 8 wedges
• 3 ears corn, husks and silk removed, ears cut into 3 pieces
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 onion, halved and cut through root end into 8 wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups beer
• 2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch-wide strips

Instructions

1. 1. Heat oil in 8-quart Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add bratwurst and cook until browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Transfer bratwurst to cutting board and halve crosswise.
   
   2. Place potatoes in single layer in now-empty Dutch oven. Arrange cabbage wedges in single layer on top of potatoes. Layer corn, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper over cabbage. Pour beer over vegetables and arrange browned bratwursts on top.
   
   3. Bring to boil over medium-high heat (wisps of steam will be visible). Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add bell peppers and continue to simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. (Use long skewer to test potatoes for doneness.)
   
   4. Transfer bratwurst and vegetables to large serving platter (or roasting pan, if your platter isn’t large enough); discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Pour 1 cup cooking liquid over platter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing remaining cooking liquid separately.
   

Layers of Flavor

Cooking all the vegetables and sausage in one pot has advantages: It’s easy, the flavors mingle, and the beer and sausage drippings season the lot. But you have to plan ahead to make sure that everything is done at the same time. Knowing that the pot is hottest at the bottom (closest to the heat source), we put the longest-cooking items in first and layer everything else accordingly.

TAKE IT FROM THE BOTTOM: Potatoes, cabbage, corn, carrots, onions, bratwurst, and peppers (added halfway through).

Skillet Burgers with Sautéed Onions and Horseradish Sauce

Skillet Burgers with Sautéed Onions and Horseradish Sauce

From Cook's Country | December/January 2012

Why this recipe works:

Ground beef seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper makes for flavorful burgers, and a quick sear in a hot skillet brings them to a perfect medium-rare in minutes. To finish, a garnish of horseradish sauce and charred onions dresses up these simple indoor burgers.

Serves 4

Horseradish sauce and charred onions dress up these simple indoor burgers.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 4 hamburger buns

Instructions

1. 1. Combine sour cream, horseradish, chives, and lemon juice in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Gently knead beef, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl until well combined. Shape into four ¾-inch-thick patties and press shallow divot in center of each.
   
   2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add patties and cook until well browned and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
   
   3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan. Cook onion over medium-high heat until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Place burgers on bun bottoms and top with onions and horseradish sauce. Serve.
   

Herbed Roast Beef

Herbed Roast Beef

From Cook's Country | December/January 2010

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Why this recipe works:

A luxurious, crunchy bread-crumb crust is great for a tenderloin, but it fell apart when we tried to slice our Herbed Roast Beef thin. Instead of a crust, we developed an herb mustard spread and discovered a way to incorporate it directly into the roast. As the herb butter lay on the resting… read more

Serves 6 to 8

For even deeper seasoning, refrigerate the roast overnight after filling it with the herb mixture in step 2.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (4-pound) top sirloin roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper

Instructions

1. 1. PREP HERBS Combine parsley, thyme, and shallot in bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons herb mixture to another bowl and stir in mustard and 1 tablespoon oil until combined. Add butter to remaining herb mixture and mash with fork until combined.
   
   2. PREP BEEF Butterfly roast and rub inside and out with salt and pepper. Spread herb-mustard mixture over interior of meat and tie securely with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
   
   3. BROWN AND ROAST Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Heat remaining oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast all over, 8 to 12 minutes, then arrange on V-rack set inside roasting pan. Transfer to oven and roast until meat registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
   
   4. BUTTER AND REST Transfer roast to carving board, spread with herb-butter mixture, tent with foil, and let rest 20 minutes. Remove kitchen twine. Slice roast crosswise against grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve.
   

Herbs Galore

Fresh parsley and thyme flavor both the interior and exterior of our roast.

1. Butterfly the roast by slicing horizontally through the middle of the meat. Leave about 1/2 inch of meat intact, then open it like a book.

2. After seasoning the meat, spread the herb-mustard mixture over the interior of the meat.

3. Fold the meat back to its original position, then tie securely at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine.

4. For a second hit of herb flavor after the roast is cooked, spread it with herb butter.

Fast Sear, Slow Roast for Beef

To promote browning when roasting beef, you want the oven to be very hot. Unfortunately, even if you remove the roast when the center is pink, you'll find a thick, unsightly band of gray, overcooked meat at its edge; a low temperature does a better job of cooking the meat evenly. So we brown most beef roasts on the stovetop to build a flavorful crust, then roast them gently for a uniformly rosy, juicy interior.

1. Searing the roast assures a flavorful, deep brown crust.

2. Roasting at a low temperature (275 degrees) keeps the meat moist and succulent.

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Meatloaf Ina Style

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves(dried works)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meat loaf will be dense. Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meat loaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven, under the meat loaf, will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot.
Ina Garten

Chipotle peach chicken or pork

1/3 cup peach preserves
1/3 cup peach, apricot, or mango nectar
1 tablespoon red wine or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Tablespoon loin oil (extra virgin)
S&P
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from chipotle (I do 1 1/2 tsp for the kids, divide the completed sauce and add more for adults)

4 chicken breasts or pork chops
3 semi-ripe peaches cut into eighths

Mix all ingredients together. Pour half of sauce over chicken or pork to marinade for 30 min up to 4 hours. Grill meat, brushing with left over marinade. Dip peaches in reserved sauce and grill on med-high for 2 min ea. Side until lightly charred. Serve peaches over meat and pass remaining sauce at the table.

From epicurious.com
This is low calorie and full flavor

Masterpiece Sliders

Yields 8 burgers and serves 3-4 people

1 lb. ground chuck (80/20)
1 batch caramelized onions
6 oz. Gorgonzola
8 Rhodes rolls baked

Divide meat into 8 portions and gently shape into thin patties slightly larger than the size of the rolls. Do not pack the meat together. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook over med-high heat on a grill for 3 minutes per side. Top each burger with about 3/4 oz. gorgonzola cheese and close grill lid for about 3 additional minutes to soften cheese. Place patties on sliced rolls and top with a heaping spoonful of caramelized onions. Make more than you think you will need.

Kristan's Version of Porcupine Meatballs

Yields around 36-40 meatballs or about 12 servings.

2 lbs. 80/20 or 85/15 hamburger
3 cups rice
1 family size can plus 1 small can cream of mushroom soup
milk or about 1 cup beef broth plus 1/4 cup half and half
pepper and Lawry's to taste
1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

Optional additions:
1 egg
*2 pieces white bread broken into small pieces soaked in 1/4 cup milk (panade)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
additional milk or water to thin out sauce

Traditional Recipe:
Cook rice according to package directions and remove and cool 1 1/2 cups. Mix the cooled rice into the hamburger.(To make more tender meatballs mix one egg into *panade and add to the meatball mixture) Season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon to taste. Do not overmix. Test flavor my cooking a small piece in a pan. Form into meatballs using a small cookie scoop for uniformly sized meatballs. Heat some oil a large pan on medium heat. Brown meatballs on 2 sides and remove from pan.

Pour in the soup, liquid, pepper, small dash of cinnamon, and, if you prefer, the thyme and nutmeg. Heat to a simmer and add additional milk or half and half to thin sauce to desired consistency. Add meatballs back to the pan and cover with sauce, simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve over the remaining rice. This freezes really well if you want to make it in large batches.

*panada; panade
[pah-NAH-duh (Sp , ), puh-NAHD (Fr. , )]
1. A thick paste made by mixing bread crumbs, flour, rice, etc. with water, milk, stock, butter or sometimes egg yolks. It's used to bind meatballs, fish cakes, FORCEMEATS and QUENELLES. 2. A sweet or savory soup made with bread crumbs and various other ingredients. It may be strained before serving

Kofta Kebabs - These are AMAZING

Cook Time20 min
Level
Easy
Yield
4 to 6 servings
CloseTimes:Prep15 min Inactive Prep30 min Cook20 min Total:1 hr 5 min Recipe Tools:

Ingredients
Kebabs:
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1 pound ground beef chuck or lamb
3 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing the grill
Raita, recipe follows
Grilled flat bread

Directions
Smash the garlic cloves, sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear mixture to a coarse paste. Mix the paste and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt with the meat, onion, parsley, and spices.

Line a pan with aluminum foil. Divide the meat mixture into 6 rough balls. Mold each piece around the pointed end of a skewer (if you use wooden ones, soak them in water for 15 minutes before threading them), making an oval kebab that comes to a point just covering the tip of the skewer. Lay the skewers on the pan, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat or prepare a grill. Brush the pan lightly with olive oil. Working in batches, grill the kebabs, turning occasionally, until brown all over and just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with tzatziki and flat bread.

Raita: Yogurt Sauce (Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce)

2 cups plain whole milk yogurt or 1 cup Middle Eastern-style plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, and seeded

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus a pinch

1/2 clove garlic

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled

If you're using plain whole milk yogurt, line a small sieve with a coffee filter. Put the yogurt in it, set it over a bowl, and refrigerate 12 hours. Discard the expressed liquid and put yogurt in the bowl.

Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater into another bowl. Sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons salt and rub into the cucumber with your hands. Set aside 20 minutes, then squeeze the cucumbers to express as much liquid as possible.

Smash the garlic, sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. Stir the cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and mint into the yogurt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour

Ease of preparation: easy
Recipe courtesy Food Network Kitchens Cookbook, Meredith Books, October 2003

Kristan's Marinated Turkey

1 12-20lb turkey or 2 turkey breasts thawed
1/2 liter 7-up
1 cup soy sauce
1 star anise
6 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
1.2 tsp. chili flakes or garlic chili sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 t. ginger powder

Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Place meat in a roasting pan. Pour marinade over turkey, cover with foil, and cook at 250 for 8-10 hours. This recipe may be halved and done in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 5.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 lbs. chicken tenders (about 8)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

1 16 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, with pineapple juice reserved
1 red bell pepper
1/2 large onion
6 Tbls. rice wine vinegar
5 Tbls. brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock
6 tsp. corn starch mixed with 6 tsp. water
1 tbls. grated ginger

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, mix 1/2 c. corn starch and all of the flour together season with salt and pepper. Beat egg into milk. Dredge chicken pieces in flour and shake off excess, dip into milk mixture, and back into flour.

Shallow fry chicken in vegetable oil until golden brown and cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan. Remove chicken and allow to drain on a cooling rack so that the bottom of each piece does not get soggy. (You may also place the chicken on the center rack in your oven, set to broil, on the cooling rack to keep hot and crispy)

Saute the onions and peppers until crisp tender (about 2 minutes). Lightly fry the pineapple for 2 minutes. Add all of the liquid (pineapple juice, vinegar, chicken stock), sugar, and ginger to the pan and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and add your corn starch slurry. Allow to thicken. Remove from heat. Serve chicken with the sauce over rice.

Creamy Chicken over Buttered Egg Noodles

This is a great way to use left over chicken and/or veggies. Use any veggies you have on hand.

2 lbs chicken seasoned with Montreal Chicken Seasoning
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 small onion medium dice
3 Tbls. butter
3 Tbls. flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 carrots sliced
8 oz. mushrooms quartered
1/2 cup green beans cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas

Sear seasoned chicken. Get a good golden crust on it and set chicken aside. Deglaze pan with white wine. Reduce wine by half and pour over reserved chicken. Saute carrots and onion in butter for about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook for 60 seconds. Add stock, cream, and thyme sprigs. Simmer sauce until thickened. Add remaining vegetables, reserved wine and chicken. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Remove thyme sprigs and serve over buttered egg noodles.

Pollo Verde Fajitas

1 rotisserie chicken picked, meat shredded (save carcass for making your own chicken stock)
reserve the juices in the bottom of the chicken container (fat skimmed)
1 16 oz bottle salsa verde
2 cups chicken stock
2 tsp. cumin (to taste)
2 poblano/pasilla chilis sliced thinly,seeds and veins removed. (you may substitute bell peppers, but I highly recommend the poblano)
2 onions sliced thinly (pole to pole)
shredded cheese (optional)
limes
sour cream
cilantro
salt and pepper

Heat a saute pan on med-high heat until very hot. Add some vegetable oil and saute the peppers and onions until crisp tender. Don't move them around too much; let them caramelize and char a bit. Meanwhile, combine salsa verde, chicken stock, chicken drippings, and cumin in a medium sauce pan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and let reduce until slightly thickened. Season to taste with cumin, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Add chiken to sauce and heat through.

Serve with warm tortillas, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges, and hot sauce.

Porcupine Meatballs

Yields around 36-40 meatballs or about 12 servings.

2 lbs. 80/20 or 85/15 hamburger
3 cups rice
1 family size can plus 1 small can cream of mushroom soup
milk
pepper and Lawry's to taste
1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)


Traditional Recipe:
Cook rice according to package directions and remove and cool 1 1/2 cups. Mix the cooled rice into the hamburger. Form into meatballs using a small cookie scoop for uniformly sized meatballs. Heat some oil a large pan on medium heat. Brown meatballs on 2 sides and remove from pan.

Pour in the soup, liquid, pepper. Heat to a simmer and add additional milk or half and half to thin sauce to desired consistency. Add meatballs back to the pan and cover with sauce, simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve over the remaining rice. This freezes really well if you want to make it in large batches.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic (Barefoot Contessa)

Rated: 5 stars out of 285 Reviews
Cook Time

1 hr 5 min
*
Level

Intermediate
*
Yield

6 servings

Ingredients


* 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
* 2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons good olive oil
* 3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
* 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Skirt Steak Tacos with Roasted Poblano Rajas

These are soooooo good and easy to make. Do yourself a favor and use corn tortillas. Stack a dozen in a steamer basket lined with a heavy kitchen towel. Steam the tortillas for 1 minute then turn the heat off and let the tortillas sit with the lid on for 15 minutes. Keep the basket over the hot water to keep the tortillas warm for 30-45 minutes.

For grilled beef tacos, skirt steak is a great choice. A simple marinade of lime juice, garlic and cumin enlivens a very beefy tasting cut that’s perfect with grilled chile strips.

Makes 12 tacos, serving 4 as a light meal

3 medium white onions, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (keep the rounds intact for easy grilling)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin, preferably freshly ground

Salt

1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of surface fat as well as the thin white membrane called “silver skin"

4 medium (about 9 ounces total) fresh poblano chiles

Vegetable or olive oil for brushing or spritzing the onions and meat

A small bowlful of lime wedges for serving

12 fresh, warm corn tortillas

1. Marinating the meat. In a food processor or blender, combine 1/4 of the onion, the garlic, lime juice, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process to a smooth puree. Using a spoon, smear the marinade over both sides of the skirt steak. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

2. Making the grilled chile-and-onion rajas. Turn the burner(s) in the center of the grill to medium-low. Now, lay the chiles on the hottest part of the grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the skin is blistered and blackened uniformly all over, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to char the flesh, only the skin. Remove the chiles from the grill and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Brush or spray the remaining onion slices with oil, and lay the whole rounds of onions on the grill in a cooler spot than you chose for the chiles. When they’re starting to soften and are browned, about 10 minutes, use a spatula to flip them and brown the other side. Transfer to an ovenproof serving dish and break the rings apart Rub the blackened skin off the outside of the chiles, then pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse briefly to remove stray seeds and bits of skin. Slice into 1/4-inch strips and stir into the onions. Taste the mixture and season it with salt, usually about 1/4 teaspoon. Keep warm in the oven.

3. Grilling the meat. Remove the steak from the marinade and gently shake off the excess. Oil the steak well on both sides, and lay it over the hottest part of the grill. Grill, turning once, until richly browned and done to your liking, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

4. Serving the tacos. Cut the long piece of skirt steak into 3- to 4-inch sections, then cut each section into thin strips across the grain (that is, in line with the full length of the skirt steak). Mix with the chiles and onions, season with a little salt and set on the table, along with the lime wedges and hot tortillas, for your guests to make into soft tacos.


Working Ahead: Thin steaks like skirt, taste best with a shorter tour in the marinade–1 to 8 hours. Leave them longer and the marinade flavor overpowers and saps the rosy color of the meat. The poblano-and-onion rajas can be made several hours ahead and left at room temperature; rewarm before serving. The steak, of course, must be grilled when you’re ready to eat.

From Mexico–One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless (Scribner 2000).

Fast Chinese Butter Chicken

6-8 chicken thighs (skinless and boneless)
1 tablespoon grated ginger or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 large clove of garlic grated or minced or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed0
1/8 teaspoon sambal (garlic chili paste)
few dashes of dark sesame oil
1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
a few green onions sliced thinly on the bias

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place chicken thighs in a 9X13 baking dish. Mix soy, garlic, ginger, sambal, and sesame oil in a cup or small bowl. Evenly distribute the brown sugar over chicken, pour sauce over the top, and place a pat of butter on each chicken thigh. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until the centers reach 165 degrees.

Sprinkle the dish with the chopped green onions and serve with rice and your favorite vegetable. The sauce is really good over broccoli.

(Adapted from Carolyn's Chicken in the Jackson family Cookbook)

Parsley Butter for Weeknight Meals

This is a seriously easy and tasty way to make many weeknight dinners in a flash. Make this butter and keep it on hand in the freezer. Some ideas are:

- Place butter under the skin of chicken breasts or a whole chicken and roast for dinner or a flavorful staple you can use for many meals during the week.

- finish a grilled steak with a pat of butter. Yummy!

- Rub it on a pork tenderloin and roast.

- Toss with pasta, lemon juice, chicken or shrimp, and parmesan.

- Add it to rice before you cook it. Toss with potatoes or stir into mashed potatoes

- Saute shrimp with salt, pepper, and olive oil and top with a knob of butter for a quick sauce. (add some white wine, soy sauce, or even hot chili paste to mix things up)Delish!)

Parsley Butter:

* 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature or softened
* 1 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
* 1 lemon, juiced
zest from 1/2 of the lemon
* 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Process in a food processor, scoop butter out onto parchment or plastic wrap and shape into a log. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until set. Slice off slabs as you need them. ***If you use salted butter remember to leave out the 1/2 t. salt.*** Enjoy!

Beef Shepherd's Pie

In honor of St. Patrick's day......

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
* 1 rib celery, sliced
* 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 pound ground beef
* 1/4 cup canned low sodium beef broth
* 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 4 cups Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, optional
* Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Directions

Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, half the salt, and oregano. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until mushrooms are soft and tomato paste has turned brick red, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the beef, the broth, the remaining salt, the Worcestershire, and some pepper, breaking up any large clumps of meat, cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the meat and vegetables to a 2-quart oval casserole dish and spread the mashed potatoes over the top, leaving a 1/4-inch boarder around the edge. Make a decorative pattern on the top of the potatoes, if desired. Sprinkle with cheese, if using, and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake until potatoes brown and the juices bubble around the edge, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Copyright 2005 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
Mashed Potatoes:

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled quartered

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

3/4 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the potatoes in a saucepan with cold water to cover by about 1-inch and add the salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. At the same time, combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Drain the potatoes and return to the saucepan. Toss the potatoes over medium heat until dry. Add the heated milk mixture and mash the potatoes until just slightly chunky, then stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste.